Why are we captivated by some people, and not by others? How do certain people persuade us to change our behavior? Or even more importantly… how do YOU influence the decisions of others?

If you ask advertising icon Sally Hogshead, the answer is fascination.

Last week, the Glantz team had the pleasure of attending this year’s annual printForum Conference (hosted by our friends at Rider Dickerson). The enlightening event brought together some of the most innovative leaders in the creative industry to share their expertise on the latest trends.

Keynote speaker Sally Hogshead kicked off the Conference with an energized presentation on how to instantly persuade and captivate in a world with a 9-second attention span. An expert on persuasion and personal branding, Sally knows how to command the attention of an audience—whether the audience is one person or 1,000.

Born to Fascinate

Sally’s big-picture ideology on how the world works is based on two facts you may never have considered.

Your brain is hard wired to fascinate.

Your brain is hard wired to be fascinated.

She explains, while we were all born with the natural power to fascinate (yes—even you!), we’ve been taught to suppress our natural gifts and imitate what society considers the norm. But, as Sally explains it, “being boring is the kiss of death.” No one gets to the top by blending in.

It’s the quirks, those rough edges that we were told to soften, that really make us who we are. If we recognize what sets us apart from the rest, we can use these traits to our advantage in how we build relationships with employers, friends, and even strangers.

The Seven Triggers to Fascination

All of our decisions are driven by fascination—from the brands we buy to the person we marry. And as it turns out, there is a scientific method to the art of influence. Sally spent years of research behind the break down of the seven universal triggers to fascination:

Power – people who take command

Passion – people who attract with emotion

Mystique – people who arouse curiosity

Prestige – people who increase respect

Alarm – people who create urgency

Rebellion – people who change the game

Trust – people who build loyalty

We each instinctively apply 2 triggers more so than the others when we are trying to persuade or communicate in our everyday lives. According to Sally, “each Personality Archetype has a “primary” trigger (the one that makes you most persuasive and captivating), and a “secondary” trigger (the one represents your second most persuasive strength).”

How Do Others Perceive You?

Before attending the Conference, Sally asked that we all take her Fascination Advantage Test. Comprised of 28 questions, the test is an assessment of your personality archetype and your natural ability to fascinate. This test reveals not how you see the world, but how the world sees you.

As the majority of people who attended the printForum Conference worked within the creative industry, our overall Fascination Advantage Results were a bit skewed compared to the average population. The Glantz team found our personality archetypes to be dead on.

Each personality archetype is defined by your primary and secondary triggers. The test results reveal how you instinctively use these triggers to fascinate. For example, if your primary trigger is PASSION (as it was with many creative personalities at the conference): “You quickly create warm emotional connections. You captivate others with your vibrant and attractive style of communication.”

To learn more about how to maximize your passion trigger, check out the video below.

Once you identify your personality triggers, you can tap into them to create a more influential message and elicit a desired response. Your strengths of persuasion can be applied not only in the workplace, but in your home and social life as well.

Fascination is a Choice

We all have a fascination advantage, but if we don’t identify it—we can’t use it. To find out more about the power of personality persuasion, visit Sally’s site howtofascinate.com.